


Here is Yesterday and Tomorrow

by AshToSilver



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Prompt Fill, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 07:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7159148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshToSilver/pseuds/AshToSilver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an old story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here is Yesterday and Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empnk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empnk/gifts).



> **Empnk requested:** _Prompt: Batman cleaning Joker's wounds. Location: Batcave. The reason Joker got hurt and why they're in the batcave and how much Joker may know about Batman's identity is up to you. :) (Excited to read all the future drabbles! ^^_
> 
> I started a batjokes chatroom and I'm going to be running it at least all month, so you can join us here: <https://www.chatzy.com/48347760913543>.
> 
> This is a part of my June daily prompts challenge - for the month of June, I will be accepting simple batjokes prompts from people. If you'd like me to write one of your prompts, you can comment below with any ideas you have. There's more info [here](http://alexfics.tumblr.com/post/145111053242/accepting-batjokes-prompts) if you want, and all prompts will be posted on AO3 under this series.

This is an old story - they know it as well as their scars and now that they’re older, wiser, slower, it’s gotten a few good tellings in.

It doesn’t change much, but the way of the world has and so have they. It’s why they’re here, instead of somewhere else, it’s why they take the time to do this, instead of leaving it to the dark. It’s why they care so much.

The Batcave, in all its glory has changed even more than they have. It’s had to accommodate enough vigilantes to take care of the entire east coast, let alone Gotham and has survived earthquakes, wars and arguments since it was 1999 and Bruce was still sunburnt from training under Ra’s ah Ghul. These days, it’s one of the most secure locations in the world and contains over a billion dollars worth of tech and equipment.

“Remember when we used to stitch up in alleyways with store-bought first aid kits?” The Joker asks, an amused tone in his voice that suggests this is a fond memory. “Oh, the glory days.”

“Be quiet,” Bruce says with no real annoyance in his tone. The screen in front of him is blinking in concerned red as the machine scans, more worried about the way the Joker’s brain is lighting up strangely then his real wounds. Bruce clicks the override at least four times before it finally looks at the patient file and accepts the abnormal baseline. He’s got to stop letting Barbara reprogram the computers, he swears they’re starting to ignore him.

“You’re worrying over nothing anyway,” the Joker continues, content to lie there and occasionally toy with the edge of Bruce’s cape. “That kid was barely eighteen, and he had a shitty gimmick to boot.”

“He cracked three of your ribs,” Bruce said, rolling his eyes, “and his ‘gimmick’ wasn’t _that_ bad, as new villains go.”

The look Joker gave him was beyond wounded, as if Bruce had personally offended him. “Well,” he huffed, struggling to sit up, “if you want to trade me in for some young, hot thing, I suppose you _can_.”

“Joker.” Bruce grabbed the vials the machine gave him and ripped open the needle packet, not even bothering to keep the fond near-frustration from his voice.

“I mean, honestly, I should have expected this from an aristocrat like you, with your fancy CEO title and sports cars-”

“ _Joker_.”

“You know I read an article in that magazine you did an interview for last month, some other trust fund asshole divorced his wife to marry a twenty-year old model and I _did_ think you’d be better than that-”

Bruce shot an anti-infection agent into the clown’s ribs, officially tuning out his rant.

“-I just felt like what we had was _real_ , you know? And then you go and pull _this_.”

“Pulled what exactly?” Came the enquiry from behind Bruce as Alfred slid into Bruce’s range of vision. The butler was old enough now that Bruce felt his usual twinge of guilt that Alfred felt the need to come down here at all. All his hair had gone white and some days he had trouble walking without a cane, but he was family and just as used to the more unorthodox visitors to the cave as any of them were.

“Jeeeeves,” Joker flailed a bit and slapped lightly at Bruce’s arm as he was given another painkiller, “Batsy wants to divorce me for a younger villain.”

“Does he?” Alfred asked, managing to log into the computer on the first time. It liked _him_ just fine. “I’ll tell your children and ex-lovers at once, I’m sure at least two of them will be disappointed to have lost.”

“How many betting pools _are there_?” Bruce asked as he wiped disinfectant over the bruised skin of Joker’s ribs and prepared to put a healing serum on the cracks.

“I wouldn’t know, sir,” said Alfred in a tone that suggested he’d started most of them. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m good,” said Bruce and ideally went to work with the easy efficiency several decades of crime-fighting had granted him. It wasn’t hard, quick slices and fast injections and in only minutes the skin was healing over the incision, the ribs already almost fixed. They’d be fine in a week.

“The marvels of modern medicine,” Joker muttered as he sat up, wiping blood off his skin with the towel Bruce handed him, “it wasn’t this easy in the beginning.”

“No,” Bruce muttered, a flicker of _Jason, Babs, Damian_ and countless other month-long recoveries and painful accidents going through his mind. It hadn’t always been this easy to repair broken bones and torn skin and all the damage a good fight could do.

“Jeeves is gone,” the clown said after a moment, pulling Bruce from his thoughts. “Wanna see how strong this table is?” The look on his face was positively wicked.

“Now how can I say no to that?” Bruce asked.


End file.
